Howard, before stepping into the grandeur of the palace, drew a deep, steadying breath.
The spectacle he had witnessed—Rawlslev's triumph over Marchuk—and the words spoken by the transformed "Warrior" still reverberated in his mind, as did the memory of the youth named Bukayo, whose prowess had left an indelible mark.
In Howard's estimation, Nimrod's image grew ever more enigmatic and formidable, a presence that transcended mortal bounds.
He had sought confirmation from Rosicky, a Tech-Priest of the Chekh clan, allies of the Omnissiah's servants and longstanding friends of his lineage. Rosicky had affirmed that no bio-engineered construct of the Adeptus Mechanicus could possess such prodigious physical might and martial prowess as Rawlslev displayed.
[Could it truly be the descent of a god from the Old Night?]
Gazing upon Nimrod, who stood with his back to him, Howard spoke with profound deference.
"My lord, I have secured an accord with Sage Kaminsky. I beseech you to review it."
Nimrod, roused from his mental rehearsal of the swordplay duel he had observed, turned to face Howard, his presence commanding the chamber.
"My lord, the Sage has pledged his support for your ascension as King of Tetzvok. He offers to perform the Omnissiah's blessing upon you."
"His conditions are the preservation of their current interests and your resolution of the xenos threat plaguing the Sea Canticle."
Nimrod absorbed Howard's report, accepting the data-slate proffered to him. His fingers danced across its surface, scrolling with superhuman speed, while he posed a question.
"The Sea Canticle?"
"Indeed, my lord."
"The Sea Canticle, as its name evokes, is an oceanic realm, adorned with pearl-like archipelagos, a world of breathtaking beauty."
As Howard extolled the virtues of the Sea Canticle with heartfelt admiration, Nimrod had already consumed the entirety of the fifteen hundred and three pages of the document.
His superhuman intellect, parsing the text with unparalleled celerity, distilled its essence, finding Howard's summary impeccably aligned with the critical points. He cast an approving glance at the golden-haired noble.
"The Sea Canticle's marine produce and limited agrarian yield are vital to Vostonia's sustenance."
"Recent xenos pirate incursions have disrupted food supplies, depleting reserves at an alarming rate."
"Should this persist, within three months, Vostonia will plunge into crisis."
Howard's words brimmed with trepidation, his keen senses attuned to the looming peril.
"What manner of xenos invade?"
"My lord, no reports yet detail the xenos' physiology."
"Notably, their vessels are extraordinarily advanced, capable of emitting a pulse-energy beam that bypasses the Mechanicus' void shields, corroding hulls directly."
Howard's countenance grew grave. He had once believed the Adeptus Mechanicus synonymous with technological supremacy, but Rosicky's recent revelations had unveiled the existence of superior technologies.
"This beam carries a vexing side effect: Mechanicus vessels' shields overload instantly upon impact, while the enemy warships follow their assault with a barrage of lance fire."
Nimrod lapsed into contemplation, his thoughts swiftly converging on the Night Shards and the Fra'el from the potion formula he had studied.
[The xenos' artillery and attack patterns bear striking resemblance to the Fra'el's aether cannons.]
"I accept the Mechanicus' terms."
Even absent a connection to potion materials, Nimrod would brook no xenos plunder within his domain; the Vostonian system was his to defend.
"However, I have conditions. The xenos' firepower is formidable, necessitating boarding actions to vanquish them."
"Thus, I require weapons and armor suited to my stature, capable of amplifying my martial prowess."
The Sequence 9 "Savant" potion still lacked two components, and low-Sequence Beyonders' technical expertise paled beside Martian Tech-Priests. Since the Mechanicus tasked him with expelling the xenos, he seized the opportunity to demand equipment.
"Such demands are reasonable and align with the logic of the Omnissiah's devotees."
Howard, after a moment's reflection, drew upon his understanding of Sage Kaminsky to reach this conclusion.
Then, resolve gleamed in his azure eyes.
"My lord, my family possesses a Standard Template Construct fragment, discovered and copied by our ancestors, adhering to sacred specifications."
Nimrod knew the Standard Template Construct, or STC, to be an intricate analytical and processing system.
Humanity's technological corpus was enshrined within STC systems, alongside Warp engines and mutant Navigators—the trinity enabling mankind's expansion beyond the Sol system to conquer distant worlds.
STCs ensured colonists maintained a standardized technological baseline, allowing them, even without prior knowledge, to efficiently construct shelters, generators, and vehicles using local resources.
A user need only query the STC for construction methods—be it a hab-block or a drilling rig—and it would furnish comprehensive plans.
The Imperium's future technology relied heavily on STCs, with the Mechanicus launching exploratory crusades to recover these divine templates.
"Though our ancestor's STC is incomplete, it contains technologies—bio-scanners, autonomous robots, refractive force fields—evidencing the Finder family's favor under the Omnissiah."
"Save for the Boleslavs, the Finders are the sole family enduring in Tetzvok's spires since its founding."
"Now, I offer the cornerstone of our legacy—a copy of this sacred template—to you."
Nimrod understood STCs manifested in myriad forms: paper schematics, digital files, or sprawling facility complexes.
Fortunate discoverers typically unearthed incomplete fragments, marred by time or other degradations, which they duplicated to preserve.
Howard now presented such a copied backup, its value, even as a replica, measured in tens of billions of Martian credits.
With his declaration, Howard pressed firmly upon the golden lightning crest of his family's emblem on his right breastplate.
A panel on his artificer power armor's left chest sprang open, from which he extracted a wrought-adamantium reliquary. Through its crystalline casing, a rectangular wafer gleamed, its surface etched with intricate metallic circuits and minuscule electronic components.
With both hands, he reverently presented it to Nimrod's massive grasp, then stepped back with utmost respect.
"You shall coordinate with the Adeptus Mechanicus and those nobles amenable to submission, setting the date for the ceremony."
"Additionally, compile a list, within one standard hour, of the families that just assaulted the spire and those steadfastly loyal to the Boleslavs, consulting your subordinates."
"As you decree, my lord."
Howard withdrew from the palace, a pang of disappointment gnawing at him for not receiving a boon like Rawlslev's. Yet, he swiftly rallied his spirits.
[I've served my lord for less than a work cycle. Even offering my family's secret, there must be a probationary period.
Henceforth, I shall flawlessly execute every task my lord assigns, hastening my own blessing.]
Concurrently, Nimrod activated his vox-comm, switching to Bukayo's channel.
"Bukayo, what is the state of the hive?"
"My lord, the commercial district's shops are shuttered, factories idled, and all factions are heavily armed, yet no large-scale conflicts have erupted."
"By my reckoning, major families will act cautiously, deploying spies to ascertain the forces behind the Boleslavs' fall, prioritizing the Mechanicus' stance."
"Only fools seizing perceived opportunities or Boleslav loyalists will assail us."
Nimrod noted the congruence of Bukayo's assessment with his and Howard's own, prompting him to issue new directives.
"Cease reconnaissance. Proceed to the Arbites Precinct. I require you to retrieve all gavels, labeling each with its former owner's name and rank."
"As you command, my lord."
Bukayo, unaware of Nimrod's intent for the gavels, knew better than to probe the mysteries of serving a divine being, stifling his curiosity.